Nanakuli running back Makaila Haina-Horswill rushed for 130 yards and three second-half touchdowns in a 28-21 win over Pearl City on September 26, 2014. Greg Yamamoto | SL

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Two years later here we are.

The two teams and head coaches that squared off in the 2012 Oahu Interscholastic Association White Division junior varsity championship game, will do battle once again on a bigger stage. Pearl City and Nanakuli will face off this Friday for the OIA Division II varsity crown at Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium.

The Chargers, ranked No. 5 in the ScoringLive/OC16 Division II Power Rankings, made their way into the championship game via a 7-1 regular season record and a win over sixth-ranked Radford in the league's semifinals. Pearl City has made it into the league's championship game in three of the past four years, but is still searching for the program's first title.

Fourth-ranked Nanakuli is in a similar boat. The Golden Hawks are returning back to league's title game since missing the playoffs in 2013. The last time Nanakuli was in the championship game was 2012 and the last time they hoisted a banner was in 1983 under Sam Delos Reyers. 

The regular season meeting between the two teams saw host Nanakuli rally from a 21-7 halftime deficit to score 21 unanswered points in the second half to remain undefeated. The victory helped the Golden Hawks finish with an 8-0 regular season record that notched them the top seed in the four-team playoffs. Nanakuli is one of five teams across the state that has yet to suffer a loss.

We caught up with the coaches of both teams a few days before their championship bout.

ScoringLive: Describe your team's current situation in one word.
Robin Kami, Pearl City coach: "Believing, these kids are believing. They came together during the whole season, trusting in each other."
Keala Watson, Nanakuli coach: "Finish. Our guys have got to learn how to finish. We've started something. We've put in a lot of work and we sacrificed a lot of things. Now it's time for us to finish it. We can't come this far and give one up to someone else, we have to make sure all our hard work pays off."

SL: Which player(s) or position group do you consider to be the heart of the team?
Kami: "Not really one position but I think our whole defense. We don't have one particular all-star person on that side of the ball. I think everyone does their job well on the defense and that's what's been keeping us in games all season."
Watson: "Our offense and defensive linemen. We don't have a lot of players and don't have a lot of size so the five offensive linemen that you see on the field is probably the five guys you'll see all the time. A lot of what we do on offense depends on them. For our defensive line, we ask a lot out of them. They don't only close the gaps on the inside but they also need to create pressure up front on the quarterback and do as much as they can to help out the backside of our defense. We expect them to pressure the ball carrier so they don't break a big one." 

SL: What did you learn about your team from the last time these teams faced off?
Kami: "Nanakuli taught us a good lesson that in this game you have to play all four quarters to win the game. First half we did well, second half they did better than us. They wanted it more than us and that's how they won the game. They taught us the lesson that you have to play all four quarters hard. No matter what the score is, you have to finish what you start."
Watson: "Our boys will never give up. We may have slow first quarters, slow first halves, but they'll never give up. They'll play to the end of the game. Win or lose, they're ready to play. They love the game of football so much. Every opportunity they have, they'll just do it without being asked."  

SL: What would bringing home this OIA D2 championship mean to your school and community?
Kami: "It would be big. Over here we have a lot of banners in the gym, we just don't have no football banners over here. This would be big for the community, school and all the former players and coaches that came over here before. It would a big thing for everybody."
Watson: "What we try to do in our program is we want to add a lot more value to the games rather than just playing it. We try be ambassadors with out program. We do a lot of community service and it lets the community know that we're playing for them. All those that are less fortunate, we're playing for them. We also did a hike up the mountain and got a chance to show the boys what the community looks like. We also had an alumni dinner this year where we had a lot of the alumni come back and share the history and the tradition of our program. All this stuff is adding a lot more value to what these kids are accomplishing. Win or lose, this season has been a great ride. There's a lot that the kids can take from. It's just a great experience to be a part off." 

SL: Your team wins this game if …
Kami: "If we can play a flawless game. We have to lay off all the penalties that we have, the unsportsmanlike conduct, the little things. We have to cross our t's and dot our i's. We cannot go off sides and we cannot get holding, especially when we get a touchdown and we get it called back because of holding. Those little things we are going to have to take care off."
Watson: "From the first time we played (Pearl City), we understood that we're two evenly matched teams. This will probably be the best game in the OIA that we'll see all year. There's not a team that has an upper hand. This game will come down to which team makes less mistakes or it could be which team wants it more. It's an evenly matched game. We're trying to make sure this week that we're the ones who make less mistakes and make more plays than the other. That's how the game is going to be decided.

SL: What do you think we can expect from Friday's game?
Kami: "You can expect a good exciting game. Our kids are excited to play Nanakuli since the last time we lost to them. They want to see if they got getter and hopefully come out with a victory this week."
Watson: "A lot of effort and a lot of passion. Both sides are into the game very much. Pearl City is a well-coached team, definitely able to knock us off. Our guys are also hungry. They feel like they want to earn a lot more respect than what they are given. You are going to see high school kids putting their heart and souls out this Friday. It should be a hard fought football game." 

Kickoff between the Chargers and Golden Hawks is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. For those wondering what was the result of the 2012 OIA White junior varsity championship game, Nanakuli defeated Pearl City 30-12.